In the shallow frying of eggs in such a manner as to leave the yolk soft but avoiding uncooked egg white, it is desirable to turn the egg over in the hot oil or fat briefly to complete the cooking of the white and to seal the yolk without cooking it through. The turning over of the egg requires considerable dexterity to avoid breaking the yolk, which results in a less attractive appearance and solidifies all the yolk, and to avoid splashing hot oil or fat, which is potentially dangerous to the cook and involves some fire risk if the oil or fat contacts the gas flame or the hot electric element.
Kitchen tongs are well-known, and various different forms have been proposed, for example in GB1104919, where the tongs disclosed comprise a spoon-like member and a flattish member, formed from plastics and hinged together by studs on one member engaging with holes in the other, to permit separation for cleaning. U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,676 discloses spring-loaded tongs having a curved member and a flat member for grasping food items. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,793 discloses tongs having spoon and fork structures whose handles are joined. US2008030034 discloses tongs of various different configurations with angled members intended to trap the food items between them for lifting.
Conventional tongs do not guarantee that delicate materials such as soft egg yolks remain undamaged during manipulation, for example inversion.